NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
23 July 2003

SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF NEW HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT GOVERNANCE LAW

Harrisburg, PA—The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a ruling today that upholds the law adopted by the Pennsylvania Legislature, and signed by then Governor Tom Ridge, that permitted a change in the governance of the Harrisburg School District from an elected school board to a board of control named by the Mayor and which gave the Mayor oversight of the District.

The justices ruled 8-1 that the law was Constitutional and thus reversed an earlier Commonwealth Court that said otherwise.

Mayor Stephen R. Reed issued the following statement on the matter: “We are pleased with the ruling, as it permits the historic and arduous effort to reform and improve urban public education here to continue uninterrupted and removes whatever uncertainties may have been in the background about whether these efforts would have continuity and lasting effect.”

The Supreme Court ruling puts an end to the issue. The justices said the law is neither specific nor unique to Harrisburg, as other cities of the Third Class in the same population category could eventually do the same thing. The Pennsylvania Constitution prohibits what is termed a “special law” that applies to only one municipality. Under the law, the elected school board has the authority to set the tax rate for the district, as the state Constitution requires that tax rates be set by elected bodies. There is no change in this provision nor was any change sought in either the new law or the Court’s ruling.

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